The dead are Safayat Ali, 38, son of Jasim Uddin of village Majdiar, Zinar Uddin alias Zina, 30, son of Doyaraj Uddin of Habirchar, and Sirajul alias Siraj, 35, son of Mosarraf Hossain of Gorura in the upazila. Of them Safayat Ali was a regional leader of outlawed Gono Bahini.

With this, the death toll in 'crossfire' during operations of police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) since June last year stands at 236.

According to Daulatpur police, a team led by the officer-in-charge of the police station, Abdul Hye, raided

Hatahpara village Thursday morning and arrested Safayat and Zinar when they were allegedly exacting tolls from fishermen. Another police team arrested Siraj in Gorura village Wednesday night.

Police took all three of the arrestees to the station and quizzed them.

During the interrogation, they admitted their involvement with the underground outfit and possessing firearms which they had kept at Bairagirchar and Philipnagar villages, police said.

Following the leads, police left for the villages to recover firearms at about 4:00am yesterday. Police said when they reached Bairagirchar, a band of Gono Bahini operatives opened fire on them, and, as police retaliated, an hour-long gunfight ensued.

The law enforcers said the three outlaws got caught in the 'line of fire' while trying to escape from a police van. However their accomplices managed to flee.

Police later found Zinar dead and Safayat and Siraj critically injured. They were taken to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex, where on-duty doctors declared them dead. Police retrieved 50 bullets from the spot.

According to police, Safayat stood accused in 24 cases including 11 for murder, Zinar in seven including three for murder and Siraj in 18 including five for murder filed with Daulatpur and Bheramara police stations in Kushtia and Lalpur and Bagha police stations in Pabna.